Every little bit helps.
Jim
Thursday October 12, 3:19 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
Fonix to Provide Text-To-Speech to Voci
Speech Solution Helps Catalog Companies Manage Call
Load During Retail Industry Busy Season
SALT LAKE CITY & SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2000--Fonix Corp. (OTCBB:FONX - news), a
leading provider of human-user interface technology and voice solutions for wireless and mobile devices, Internet and
telephony systems, and vehicle telematics, Thursday announced that it will provide Fonix FAAST(TM) Text-To-Speech
(TTS) technology to Voci, an Application Service Provider (ASP) of enterprise-level speech systems.
Voci will use the Fonix FAAST TTS framework for specific speech applications that automate customer inquiries and
transactions over the telephone.
Voci's speech systems help companies to improve customer service and profitability by reducing the call abandonment
rate, handling busy period call volume spikes, and by dealing with routine information and transaction calls at a fraction of
the cost of using live agents.
Voci customers pay for the speech systems on a per-call-processed basis and avoid having to manage and maintain
complex internal software systems.
Reed Kingston, Voci's president and chief executive officer, said, ``We're delighted to be working with Fonix. The use of
their robust Text-To-Speech system makes Voci's ASP-based speech solutions affordable and easy to implement, making
for fast time-to-benefit for our customers.
``This is particularly critical for our catalog industry customers, who depend on our catalog request and other speech
applications to help them get through their busy season.''
Retail catalog customers often experience frustrating on-hold waiting periods during the busy retail season when calling
catalog companies. Now, by way of Voci's speech system and the Fonix FAAST TTS framework, callers will be able to
order catalogs, obtain order status, and place orders without having to wait.
``Expediting customer service is an issue at the forefront of technology,'' said Fonix Chairman and CEO Thomas A.
Murdock. ``We are pleased to join with Voci and to offer our cutting edge TTS to their customer service system. The
ability to reduce costs and to increase efficiency via our combined voice solutions will be a tremendous boon to the retail
industry.''
Fonix FAAST TTS is a software development framework that provides one of the most sophisticated text-to-speech
systems available. The software allows for modifications to pitch, speed, volume, emphasis, and pauses that provide correct
meaning and context to spoken words and phrases.
The technology is distributable and can reside anywhere so that voice applications running on a local device can interface
with the technology on a remote device, and vice versa. It reads text from a variety of data sources and devices and will
allow Voci to expand their catalog platform and develop their services on a broader basis while conserving costs.
About Fonix Corp.
Fonix Corp. is a leading provider of human-user interface (HUI) technology and voice solutions for wireless and mobile
devices, Internet and telephony systems, and vehicle telematics. Leading chip manufacturers, independent software and
hardware vendors, and Internet content and service providers incorporate Fonix technology to provide their customers with
an easier and more convenient user experience.
Fonix products, including Text-To-Speech (TTS), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), and Handwriting Recognition
(HWR), can be easily implemented on multiple microprocessors and operating systems, and provide the most natural
communications solutions available. For more information visit www.fonix.com or call 801/553-6600.
About Voci
Voci Corp. is a San Jose-based application service provider of enterprise-level speech recognition solutions. The company
designs, develops, hosts and maintains large vocabulary speech recognition applications that automate customer inquiries
and transactions over the telephone.
Voci's hosted, turnkey Sereno platform offers dramatic cost efficiencies and improvement in customer service levels. To
learn more about Voci and its capabilities, visit Voci on the web at www.vocispeech.com.
Contact Bruce Pollock, 408/874-5850 or bruce.pollock@vocicorp.com
Note: The statements released by Fonix Corp. that are not purely historical are forward-looking within the meaning of the
``Safe Harbor'' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the
company's expectations, hopes, intentions, and strategies for the future.
Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties that may affect the company's
business prospects and performance. It is important to note that the company's actual results could differ materially from
those in such forward-looking statements.
Risk factors including general economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors as discussed in the
company's filings with the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. The company does not undertake any responsibility to
update the forward-looking statements contained in this release. |
